Cutter: Benghazi Is Only an Issue ‘Because of Romney and Ryan’  —  Obama deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter said Thursday that the “entire reason” the terrorist attack at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi that killed four Americans has “become the political topic it is” is because Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan talk about the attack.

What I learned debating Paul Ryan  —  In February 2010, I sat down to talk health-care policy with Rep. Paul Ryan.  Ryan wasn't yet the lion of the right that he is today, but he had a reputation as an unusually wonkish legislator, and he didn't disappoint.

Oct. 10: Is Romney Leading Right Now?  —  Polling since the debate in Denver last week has generally been very strong for Mitt Romney.  But there have also been a couple of rays of hope for Democrats and President Obama.  —  One hypothesis is that Mr. Romney's debate bounce was initially very strong, but has since faded some.

He tells ‘Dispatch’ those with pre-existing condition would have chance to get insurance  —  A Mitt Romney administration overhaul of President Barack Obama's health-care law would provide those without insurance who have a pre-existing condition the opportunity to gain coverage …

Letting us in on a secret  —  When House Republicans called a hearing in the middle of their long recess, you knew it would be something big, and indeed it was: They accidentally blew the CIA's cover.  —  The purpose of Wednesday's hearing of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee …

DNC Fires Employee Featured In James O'Keefe Video  —  The Democratic National Committee on Wednesday fired a Texas staffer who appeared to offer to help someone figure out how to vote simultaneously in two states in undercover video released by conservative activist James O'Keefe.

Video: Unions Fine Members Who Don't Show Support for Elizabeth Warren  —  A GOP source sends along this video, shot by a Republican tracker, of a union member supporting Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren outside of a debate Wednesday night in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Data Massaging Continues: Initial Claims Tumble To 339K Lowest Since 2008, Far Below Lowest Expectation  —  This is just getting stupid.  After expectations of a rebound in initial claims from 367K last week (naturally revised higher to 369K), to 370K (with the lowest of all sellside expectations at 355K) …

Why Wasn't Libya Hearing on Page A1 of The Times?  —  Stories about Wednesday's Congressional hearing on Libya were prominently displayed on the front pages of major newspapers throughout the United States on Thursday morning.  —  The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, for example …

GOP Plans Congressional Investigation Into September Jobs Number Conspiracy  —  House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) told Fox News on Wednesday that he would hold hearings into the September job numbers, buying into a widely-discredited conspiracy theory that President Obama faked …

Bus Driver Tells 12 Year-Old He Should Have Been Aborted Because of Romney Yard Sign  —  A bus driver told a 12 year-old student that he should have been aborted because his family had a Romney-Ryan sign in their yard.  —  Freedom Eden reported: … UPDATE: The bus driver was fired after the report on Mark's show.

Romney calls girl at center of T-shirt controversy  —  Mitt Romney called Samantha Pawlucy on Wednesday, a spokeswoman for the campaign confirmed by email this morning.  —  The Romney campaign will not be issuing a formal statement, according to spokeswoman Kate Meriwether, who declined to provide details.

Romney's Pivot to the Center Hasn't Worked.  (But It Didn't Need To.)  —  Perhaps you've heard about Romney's pivot to the center in last week's debate—what it means, whether it will work, how Obama is responding, etc.  Yesterday, Bill Clinton described his reaction to Romney's performance thusly: “Wow, here's old moderate Mitt.

Obama campaign refers to liberal bloggers as “tinfoil hat crowd”  —  The Obama campaign referred to several major liberal bloggers as the “tinfoil hat crowd” in a statement to Fox News Wednesday.  The campaign was responding to the cable channel's request for a comment on an Internet conspiracy theory many of them had promoted.

Who do you believe—Mitt, or your lyin' memory?  —  A depression has descended upon me.  I look at the blank screen, and those are the words that come into my mind.  I do not believe for a second that Mitt Romney will win the election.  I do believe that at this moment he is tied, 50-50, in various national polls.

Ad blitz hits Ohio Sen. Brown over coal industry regulations  —  An ad campaign launched Thursday by a conservative group aims to unseat Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) by linking him to Obama administration regulations opposed by the coal industry.  —  American Commitment is spending $400,000 on the Ohio TV and radio effort.

The real Libya scandal: The failure to respond  —  Today marks exactly one month since terrorists attacked the U.S consulate in Benghazi, Libya, killing our ambassador and three other American personnel.  In the weeks since, Washington has been gripped by the unfolding scandals …